ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

Dr. Jodie Rummer is an Australian Research Council (ARC) early career Discovery fellow, Assistant Professor of Research at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University (JCU) and was the 2015-2016 recipient of the highly prestigious UNESCO-L’Oréal Women in Science Fellowship for Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Rummer is a leading authority on the evolution of oxygen transport in fish and how performance is maintained during stress. Her research, combines ecology, evolution, and physiology to address issues important to conservation, such as the effects of climate change and other human-caused problems on coral reef fishes, sharks, and rays and the potential for adaptation.

Beyond her research, Jodie also champions for issues that women and other minorities face in the STEM fields. She was editorial advisor and authored three chapters for “Success Strategies from Women in STEM” (2015, Elsevier). In her work, Jodie emphasizes the importance of leadership, being a good role model, and communication – especially with young girls and minorities wanting to pursue careers in science/STEM fields. A career highlight has been her TEDx talk, “Athletes of the Great Barrier Reef”. She also uses social media to communicate scientific findings, highlight fellow scientists’ success stories and achievements, and to and advocate for issues related to women in science, gender balance, and diversity in STEM.

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King Abdullah University of Science and Technology - Competitive Research Grant

Genomic evidence for adaptation of marine fishes to ocean acidification

Indicative Funding

$536,574 over 3 years (administered by King Abudullah University of Science and Technology)

Summary

Ocean acidification is predicted to have far-reaching impacts on marine biodiversity, especially in vulnerable ecosystems such as coral reefs. Whether marine animals can adapt to the decreasing pH is uncertain and the likely molecular mechanisms responsible for such adaptation are unknown. Recent studies show that ecologically important behaviours of marine fishes can be impaired by CO2 levels projected to occur in the ocean before the end of this century. However, in a unique multi-generational experiment with a common coral reef fish, we have demonstrated that such individuals are more tolerant to high CO2 than others and that this tolerance is heritable. In this study we will use Next-Generation Sequencing to sequence the brain's genomes and transcriptomes from parents and their offspring to test for genetic adaptation in CO2 tolerance.

Reef shark performance in the 21st century

Indicative Funding

$3,000

Summary

Tropical reef sharks are predicted to have a limited ability to rapidly adapt to ocean warming that is expected to reduce sharks? aerobic metabolic scope (AS). Environments prone to warming, like coastal shark nurseries, may become unsuitable habitat, because reduced AS is associated with detriments to fitness. The aims of this study are to understand temperature-driven variation in AS and its underlying mechanisms for juvenile reef sharks, and to link AS to nursery habitat suitability. This study is significant, because determining the suitability of nursery habitat for juveniles may have implications for the long-term viability of reef shark populations.

L'Oreal Australia & New Zealand - Women in Science Fellowship

Impacts of suspended sediments on the health and performance of coral reef fish

Indicative Funding

$25,000 over 2 years

Summary

Inceasing atmospheric CO2 is warming the oceans, increasing the frequency and extent ofhypoxia, and decreasing ocean pH at a rate 100-times faster than over the past million years. Data necessary for undertanding the consequences of climate change on sharks are limited, likely due to logistics precluding laboratory experiments. Tropical sharks could be most affected due to warmer temperatures, and many use shallow lagoons and mangroves that could be experienceing even more severe hanges in water quality for pupping and nurseries. This research will examine movement patterns and physiological performance in reef sharks and environmental conditions in critical nursery habitats.

Australian Research Council - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

This study will examine the effects of ocean acidification, which occurs due to increasing atmospheric CO2, on coral reef fishes. Physiological performance of fishes varies under elevated CO2, but behaviour is consistently, negatively impacted. This research will investigate evolutionary trade-offs between behaviour and performance, physiological mechanisms key to compromising, maintaining, or enhancing metabolic performance under elevated CO2, and the importance of habitat in how fish respond to elevated CO2. As fish play critical roles in marine ecosystems by structuring food webs and driving ecological processes, this information will be critical for predicating the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Investigators

Jodie Rummer
(ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies)

Keywords

Ocean Acidification; Coral Reef Fishes; Adaptation

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation:
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Dr. Jodie Rummer is an Australian Research Council (ARC) early career Discovery fellow, Assistant Professor of Research at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University (JCU) and was the 2015-2016 recipient of the highly prestigious UNESCO-L’Oréal Women in Science Fellowship for Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Rummer is a leading authority on the evolution of oxygen transport in fish and how performance is maintained during stress. Her research, combines ecology, evolution, and physiology to address issues important to conservation, such as the effects of climate change and other human-caused problems on coral reef fishes, sharks, and rays and the potential for adaptation.